Ekiti Election Five Days Away as Parties Make Final Push for Votes

With five days remaining before the June 20, 2026, Ekiti State governorship election, political parties made their final campaign push across all 16 local government areas on Sunday, as the Independent National Electoral Commission confirmed that all logistics and security preparations were complete.

Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s APC campaign held rallies in multiple local government areas over the weekend, with the governor reiterating his administration’s development record and promising further investments in education, healthcare, and infrastructure if re-elected. The campaign continued to benefit from the high-profile support it received from Vice President Kashim Shettima and Senate President Godswill Akpabio in the preceding week.

The PDP’s Oluwole Oluyede also intensified his campaign, focusing on what he described as the failures of the Oyebanji administration to address unemployment and the rising cost of living in Ekiti. The PDP said it had submitted its formal complaint to INEC about alleged voter inducement by the APC and was awaiting the commission’s response.

ECOWAS Observers Assess Pre-Election Environment

The ECOWAS Electoral Observation Mission, which arrived in Ekiti the previous week, continued its assessment of the pre-election environment, meeting with party representatives, civil society groups, and security officials. The mission’s preliminary findings were expected to be shared with INEC ahead of polling day.

Furthermore, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Samuel Hart confirmed that all 12 contesting parties had been briefed on election day procedures and that party agents would be accredited at all polling units. He reiterated that voters without valid Permanent Voter Cards would not be permitted to vote, urging residents to confirm their registration status ahead of the election.

Meanwhile, security agencies confirmed that the full deployment plan for election day, including the Nigeria Police, Civil Defence Corps, and Amotekun Corps, had been finalised. However, opposition parties continued to express concern about what they described as an uneven playing field given the scale of federal government involvement in the Oyebanji campaign in the days leading up to the election.

Still, INEC insisted that all parties would be treated equally on election day. Notably, pre-election surveys continued to show Oyebanji as the strong favourite, though turnout levels remained uncertain given the intensity of the security concerns affecting parts of southwestern Nigeria. Consequently, all eyes will be on Ekiti on June 20 as the first major electoral test of 2026.

Osun APC Set to Announce Candidate

In addition, the APC in Osun State confirmed it had completed its candidate screening process ahead of the August 15 governorship election and would announce its flagbearer before the end of June. The party said recent defections from its ranks in Osun would not affect its electoral prospects. As a result, political attention in the southwest is set to shift quickly from Ekiti to Osun once the June 20 election concludes.